Much of the digital content that end users send and receive passes through various data networks that collectively form the Internet. End users gain access to these data networks through one or more carrier networks. Carrier networks include internet service providers (ISPs) that have provided dial-up connectivity and that now provide wired broadband connectivity (e.g., Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), cable, and fiber optic) through which end users access the Internet while at home or at the office. Carrier networks also include wireless carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile that provide wireless access to the Internet.
The wireless carriers have invested heavily in deploying wireless networks that are accessible by end users across multiple regions. FIG. 1 illustrates components of a wireless carrier network 105. As shown, the wireless carrier network 105 includes a radio access network (RAN) 110, a mobile switching center (MSC) 120, a Serving GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Support Node (SGSN) 130, a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) 140, a Home Location Register (HLR) 150, and a set of databases 160.
The wireless carrier network 105 may include multiple RANs. In this figure, the RAN 110 is depicted as a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) that includes a Node B 170 and a Radio Network Controller (RNC) 180. The Node B 170 provides an air interface that spans several hundred meters. The Node B 170 generates a service region that allows one or more end user subscriber devices 190 that are located in the service region to wirelessly connect to circuit switched (i.e., voice) and packet switched (i.e., data) services of the wireless carrier network. A typical wireless carrier network includes multiple Node Bs for each RAN and multiple RANs to provide overlapping service regions that provide continuous wireless service.
The circuit switched services are provided by the MSC 120. The MSC 120 provides call switching and mobility management functionality to allow end user devices to place calls to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 195.
The packet switched services are provided by the SGSN 130 and the GGSN 140. The SGSN 130 performs packet routing, mobility management, and authentication functionality within a particular geographic service region when the end user device requests data services through the wireless carrier network 105. The GGSN 140 provides interworking between the GPRS based data packets of the wireless carrier network 105 and Internet Protocol (IP) based data packets of external data networks such as the Internet.
The HLR 150 is one or more databases that store end user information. The HLR 150 identifies what services a particular end user has access to, location of the particular end user, and other end user subscriber account information. The set of databases 160 compliments the HLR 150 and provides additional information about end user parameters and network parameters. For example, the set of databases 160 stores information about the end users' devices (e.g., make and model) and the congestion at each Node B or RAN of the wireless carrier network.
Carrier networks, especially wireless carrier networks, are continually dealing with capacity issues in order to meet increased demand for their services. The increased demand comes in the form of new end users that previously did not have data access and new and more powerful end user devices that utilize the carrier networks' services to consume more feature-rich content such as videos, music, and other interactive content. These devices include smartphones (e.g., Apple's iPhone and other smartphones powered by the Android or Windows Phone 7 operating systems), tablet devices, and laptops or other computing devices with wireless connect cards that allow the devices to wirelessly access services of the carrier network.
Carrier networks are sometimes unable to keep up with the increase in demand. This is especially true for wireless carrier networks that have access to a limited wireless spectrum and are therefore much more limited in bandwidth than wired carrier networks. Consequently, end users may experience degraded or unavailable service. For example, some end users may be unable to connect to a wireless carrier network during peak usage hours. These end users will be unable to access wireless data services. This situation is further exacerbated by end users with unlimited access plans that can disproportionally consume the carrier network's bandwidth.
Some carrier networks have introduced monthly caps on data usage in an attempt to limit end user content consumption. However, these caps do not improve the capacity of the carrier network during times of peak usage when the number of end users accessing the carrier network's services exceeds the available capacity or in major metropolitan areas where the number of end users in a particular service region exceeds the available capacity at that particular service region. Upgrading existing infrastructure imposes significant costs on the carrier network. For example, upgrading from a 3G to a 4G (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) or Long Term Evolution (LTE)) data network takes several years and hundreds of millions in cost to rollout.
Accordingly, there is a need to better utilize the existing resources of a carrier network to maximize the available capacity of a carrier network. There is a need to do so without modifying existing equipment and existing configurations of the carrier networks so that implementation, maintenance, and integration costs are minimized.